Leaders in the US Space Force would like to have a new spaceport up and running in four years, adding a third heavy-lift launch site to relieve pressure from bases in Florida and California that have shot rockets into orbit for nearly 70 years.
The obvious problem with that ambition is 2030 is four years away, and Pentagon officials have not determined where the new spaceport should go or how to acquire land for it.
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink first mentioned the service’s search for a third launch base in May. A congressionally mandated study of the Space Force’s launch infrastructure identified the need for “another site that’s capable of heavy and super heavy launch capability,” Meink said in a House Armed Services Committee hearing.
The Trump administration released a space transportation policy in August that endorsed the construction of more launch and reentry sites for commercial and military missions. This week, the Space Force general responsible for procuring launch services for the military laid out an “aspirational” timeline for a new launch site.
“We need this capability by 2030, but I’m also a pragmatist,” said Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, head of Space Systems Command. “That is not an inconsequential demand to build a spaceport when you factor in orbital regimes, safety, access to commodities, the Americans that live near it. In many ways, it’s much like an airport, but even louder. So there’s a lot of consideration.”
